Flooring for railway-cars.



W. P. BETTENDORF. FLOORING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED 0013.25, 1909.

Patented Mar. 29, 1910.

U NITED s'r firs Parana FFTGEB WHILEAM P. BETTENDORF, F DAVENPORT, IOWA.-

FLOORING non RAILWAY-cans;

scene;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'lt Ear. 29, 19110.

Application filed October 25, 1909. Serial No, 524,468.-

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known 'that*I,WILLIAM P. Bismw Donn, a citizen of the United 'St'ates,'-'residing at Davenport,in'the county of Scott and Stateof Iowa, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Flooring for Railway- Carsyof whichthe following is a full, clear,

' and exaet'description.

My invention" relates to l the construction of the floors for railway cars, and more particularly to that type of cars new commercially known as steel bars 01" metal cars wherein the use of the wooden under :irarnes and sides has'been superseded by the The objectof my invention'is to enable-- the floor of the car to. be lowered to just above the plane ofthe upper edges of the sills; to increase the durability of the same by making the central portion thereof above the'cente'r 'sil-lor sills of inetal-and to make the same'economically' and strong'and durable with woodeii floorin'gs which can be easily and qu-ickl y repaired, andtitilized for all purposes as=easi1y and conveniently asif it were mad'e"enti'rely of wood.' These ob jects I accomplish by the means and-in the manner hereinafter fully described and as more particularly pointe'dbut ingtheclairns, reference being had to the accom'panylngdrawings forming "a part hereof, in which Figure 1 is'a plan View of the floorportion of a railway car showing niy'iinproven'ients appliedtheretoxj Fig.- 2 isa transverse ver tical'sectio'n thereof, taken on line 2-2, Fig.-

1,and lo0kin g-in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is agr'eatly enlarged fragrnent in transverse section similar to'Fig. 2, of'the' longitudinal*centralportion of the floor.

Referring to fthedrawings A represents a rolled or-east metal center-sill, thatprefer: ably is contihuous between the body-bolsters B; of the un'der'frarn'e; and in this particular instance isillirstrate'd' as ofal single Lbeam constructiona-- Secured to the -ends of this center-sill a shortdistanc'e from the=.vertical'- planes "of each' of I the body-bolsters are en e r-est a suitablecorrespondingly shaped cast-metal drafbsills' C; C, thatconstitute extensions of' tl1e 'cent'er-sill,"A, that have their lower port1ons*so shaped-as to form arches c, c, that- .arch over the body-bolsters; but have their upper edges inthe samehorizontal'plane as the" upper edge of the 'center-sill,-* a plane whichis maintained-from end to' end of the car: This construction; in'itsgeneral' as pects is similar to that-shown anddescribed in Letters Patent of thUnited States'No. 780,3I7', grantedto' incon January 17th; 1905; fdr underfraines for bars. Extendingfrom end to end of the car and bounding the longitudinal sides thereof, are side-sills' Ej E, preferably of angular or rolled-metal construction, and are so arrangedthat the lateral flanges thereof project inwardly.

These jside SilIs are, preferably, securedto' and supported'on the outerends of the bodybolste'rs B and to cross-bearers F; F, tliat are disposed at suitable distances'apart between said body-bolsters. These cross-bearersare usually of I-beanr-conetruction; and at their centers of "lengthpass 'througlr'thecentersill and have theirmpper edges in the'same horizonta l plan'e as the=upp'er edges of the body-bolsters: v I

Longitudinally disposed woodeii fieor rim: here or fillers G, G, are boltedor-otherwise suitably secured" to the=- inner face of the side sills; and preferably correspond in thickness to the-height of said side-sills The outer portion of the upper and lower 'sur-' faces of these fillers are recessed in orderto fitsnugfly' between they flanges of *said' side sil'ls; whiletheinner'upper corner thereof-is'chainfered'to form a seat 'for theoute'r' endsof'the transverse flooring plahks", as will hereinafter be "mere" fully described. Germ-"- s ending longitudinal wooden flebr timb'ers or fillers H, H, are secured upon each side of the-"center sil'l; and are seated upon-the suit, able lateral fla'ngee-M h, of 'thWdra'ft-sillf? in height than the fillers 'G, G, and therefore" need not -be""grooved'! "Between fireside-sills and the center-silland" draft siils the fleor ing consistent transverse planks- I, '1, whose outerends are seated inv the chamfer intlie l sill accordin to the part ofthe car where' theyare lai' In. order' to coverovei the ce11ter-sil'l' and draft sills from sidetd side and from one end of the car to the other, I have provided a sheet metal center-plate J which is confined and held in place by having its longitudinal edges bent downward over the upper corners of said sills and then bent outward, thereby forming L- shaped flanges" j, 7', whose horizontal p'or-' and H, that extend from end-sill to end-sill of the car.

What I claim as new is l. The combination in a car of an underframe comprising a center-sill, and needle- I beams the upper edges of which are below the corresponding edges of the center-sill, of a flooring the central portion of which is metal and" the portions on either side thereof are wooden planks.

2. The combination in a car of an underframe comprising a center-sill, and 'needle beams the upper edges of which are below the corresponding edges of the center-sill,.

of a flooring the central portion of which comprises a metal-plate extending the length of the car, and wooden-planks on either side thereof.

3. A flooring for cars the central portion of which comprises a sheet-metal plate ex tending the length, of the car, and transverse wooden-planks on either side thereof the adjacent ends of which rest upon said plate.

4. A. flooring for cars the central portion of which comprises a metal plate provided with lateral flanges that project in a difi'erent plane from the body thereof, and the portions on either side thereof-comprising wooden planks one end of which rest on said flanges.

5. The combination in a car of an underframe comprising a center-sill, and needlebeams the ,upper edges of which are below the corresponding edges of the center-sill, of a flooring the central portion of which is metal and covers the center-sill, and the portions on either side thereof are woodenplanks.

6. The combination in a car of an underframe comprising a center-sill, and needlebeams, the upper edges of which are below the correspon ing edgesof the center-sill,

of a flooring the central portion of which comprises a metal 'plate extending the ion either side thereof.

length of the car and covering the upper edge of said center-sill, and wooden-planks 7. A flooring for cars the central of which comprises a sheet metal plate extending the length ofthe car and covering the upper edge of the center-sill of said car, and transverse wooden floor-planks on either side thereof the adjacent ends of which rest upon said plate. y

8. A flooring for cars the central portion of which comprises a metal plate provided with lateral flanges that project in a different plane than the body thereof and cover the upper edge of the center-sill of said car, and the portlons of said flooring'on either side of the center comprising wooden floorplanks one end of which rest upon said flanges. 9. In flooring for cars, the combination with a center-sill, and side-sills, of a' centerplate covering said center-sill, longitudinally disposed floor-timbers secured to said side-sills, and transverse floor-planks seated on saidtimbers and said center-plate between the saidcenter-sill and side-sills.

10. In flooringfor cars, the combination with a center-sill and side-sills, of a centerplate covering said center-sill from end to end pf the car and having 'lateral flanges, longitudinally disposed floor-timbers secured to said side-sills, and transverse floor-timbers seated on said timbers and the flanges of said center-plate between said center-sill and side-sills.

' 11. In flooring for cars, the combination with a center-sill and side-sills, of a centerportion I plate covering said center-sill from end to end of the car and haying lateral flanges extending below. the plane of the top of said center-sill, longitudinally disposed floortilnbers secured to said side-sills, and trans verse floor-planks seated on said timbers and the flanges of-said'center-plate between said center-s1ll and side-sill.

12. In flooring for cars, the combination with a center-sill, side-sills and cross-bearers, of longitudinally disposed floor-timbers secured to said side-sills and center-sill and resting upon. said cross-bearers, a centerplate covering said center-sill and provided with lateral flanges seated in the adjacent edge of the floor-timbers secured to the center-sill, and transverse floor-planks resting upon said timbers and the lateral flanges of said center-plate.

13; In flooring for cars, the combination with a center-sill, side-sills and cross-bearers, of longitudinally disposed floor-timbers with a center-sill, side-sills and cross-bearers, of longitudinally disposed floor-timbers taining the latter in place.

seeu 'ed to said center-sill "and side-sills and resting upon the v cross-bearers, a centerplate coverin said center-sill and provlded with lateral anges that project in a difierentl plane from the body of said plate, and

transverse flqor-planks seated on said timbers and the flanges of said .plate and re- 10 In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of October 1909.

WILLIAM P. BETTENDORF. Witnesses: A. B.. FRENIER, F. M. GODDARD. 

